Without You
by The Improbable Fan
Summary: Sherman is spending the night at camp. First time camping and also his first night away from Mr. Peabody. Can Sherman get through the night without his dad? You'll just have to find out, won't you.
1. Without You (Sherman)

Sherman looked out the cabin window, observing the night time sky. He was at Camp Clearwater with his friends Carl and Mason. They had spent the entire day canoeing, rock climbing, zip-lining, and doing all sorts of great things.

To say the day had been fun would be an understatement. It had been a blast.

Now, it was time for bed. Carl was sitting on his cot, reading a comic. Mason was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth.

Sherman had been ready for bed awhile ago. He had been so excited to spend his first night at camp. But, at that thought, he also realized that this was his first night away from home.

And, it was also his first night away from Mr. Peabody.

To be honest, he really hadn't thought about his dad all day. He was too busy having fun. But, now that the excitement was over, he realized that he missed Mr. Peabody.

He wasn't use to Mr. Peabody not being there to tuck him. Now that his dad wasn't there, Sherman felt empty. It felt like something was missing, and he knew what that something was.

Sherman sighed, a tear dripping down his face, as he thought about the previous morning.

* * *

Sherman's alarm clock rang loudly in his ears. He groaned, stuffing his head under the pillow while trying to hit the snooze button.

His hand hit the button, silencing the alarm. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes for more sleep.

His slumber lasted for about a minute as his door creaked open, the light from the hallway flooding his room.

He groaned a second time, once again hiding his facing underneath his pillow.

He heard footsteps approaching his bed. A hand grabbed his blanket, pulling it off.

Sherman lifted his head to see Mr. Peabody standing next to his bed.

"Sherman, you have to get up."

Sherman looked over at his clock, blinking his bleary eyes. "It's only 5:10."

"Yes, I let you sleep in only ten minutes. You should have gotten up at five sharp. But, I know how you are when it comes to getting up early. But, sometimes you have to get up early. If you want to go, you have to get up, now. Otherwise, we'll be running behind schedule." Mr. Peabody placed his paws on his thigh.

Sherman furrowed his eyebrows, "Go? Go whe - " His sleepy mind finally shifted into gear, operating at maximum thinking capacity.

Sherman bolted straight up, "Oh, yah! I'm going camping. Wahoo!" The now excited boy reached for his glasses, placed them on his face, and zoomed past his dad, knocking him over.

The white canine rubbed his head, adjusting his glasses after his unexpected fall.

"Sorry!" Sherman yelled from the bathroom.

Mr. Peabody chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Amazing what a little motivation will do to you."

* * *

Mr. Peabody held a checklist in one paw and a pen in the other. He checked off an item off the list.

"Toothbrush?"

Sherman held up his blue toothbrush. "Check!'

"Toothpaste?"

A tube of Colgate toothpaste was placed into his backpack. "Check!"

"Pajamas?"

"Check!"

"Flashlight?"

Sherman switched the flashlight off and on several times before placing it in his bag, "Check!"

After checking off the last few items, Sherman was all set. The van that would take him to camp was parked in front of Peabody Industries.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman took the elevator down to the lobby then walked towards the doors. Mr. Peabody looked at his son with a sad smile, "Well, have fun, Sherman. And stay safe. You never now what kind of danger lurks out there."

Sherman looked at his dad with a playful expression, "We've been to the Amazon Jungle, Mr. Peabody. If I can survive that, I think I can handle Camp Clearwater.

Mr. Peabody chuckled as they walked through the main entrance, "I know you can, Sherman."

They quickly approached the van. The side door of the vehicle slid open. Sherman's friends Mason and Carl waved to him. He waved back.

He turned back to his dad. "Well, I gotta go, Mr. Peabody."

Mr. Peabody nodded, "I know. Have a great time, Sherman. I'll miss you."

Sherman smiled, "I'll miss you, too, Mr. Peabody. But, it's only for two days."

The white beagle wrapped his arms around his son, "I know. But, that's two days without my son."

Sherman choked back a sob upon hearing that. He wrapped his arms around his father, hugging him tightly.

They pulled away. A tear slid down Sherman's face. Mr. Peabody affectionately wiped it away. "But, I think I'll manage. Now, go. Your friends are waiting for you." He pushed Sherman towards the van.

Sherman walked over to the van, looking back at his dad before going inside. "I love you, Mr. Peabody."

Mr. Peabody smiled warmly, "I love you, too, Sherman." He waved goodbye.

Sherman did, too, the van door closing behind him. He looked at his father through the window. He gave a final glance at Mr. Peabody as the van drove away.

* * *

Sherman wiped a stray tear from his face. He was here to have fun, not sit around and cry.

But, his emotions got the better of him as his thoughts drifted towards his canine parent.

Mason came out of the bathroom. He looked over at Carl, who was still reading his comic. He then looked over to where Sherman was.

Sherman was facing away from him, but Mason could tell something was wrong. "Sherman, is something wrong?"

Sherman jumped slightly as his thoughts were interrupted. He rubbed his eyes quickly, trying to conceal his tears.

"Huh? Oh, yah, I'm fine, Mason. I'm just thinking about something." Sherman blinked to keep anymore tears from falling.

"You've been staring out that window for the past ten minutes," Carl pointed out, putting down his comic. "It must be something important."

"Don't worry about me, guys. I'm fine. Really," Sherman insisted.

Mason walked over to him, looking at him, "You sure? You don't seem fine. Are you - wait." Mason squinted his eyes at Sherman. "Have you been...crying?"

"What? Of course not! That's ridiculous. Why would I be crying?" Sherman folded his arms, looking away.

Mason shrugged, "I don't know. You tell me."

"You know, if something's bothering you, you can tell us. Maybe we can help," Carl suggested, taking his glasses off to clean them.

Sherman wrung his hands together, "Promise not to laugh?"

"That depends on what it is," Carl smirked, putting his glasses back on, "But, we won't. Right, Mason?"

Mason nodded.

Sherman looked at his friends and sighed. He turned back to the window. "To be honest, this is my first night here."

Carl and Mason looked at each other. Carl raised an eyebrow, "Well, yah, we only arrived this morning. It's our first night here, too."

Sherman shook his head, "No, I mean... " He hung his head, taking a deep breath.

"It's my first night away from home."

Carl and Mason's eyes widened.

"You mean...this is your first time camping?" Mason gawked in surprise.

Sherman nodded sheepishly, "First time being alone, actually. Alone and away from..." He trailed off, feeling no more words were necessary.

Carl and Mason exchanged nervous looks, unsure of what to do or say.

"Sherman, you - you miss your dad, don't you?" Carl hesitated.

Sherman let out a shaky breath, nodding. "Yah, it's just - I've spent so much time with Mr. Peabody. Now that he's not here, I feel...odd. And, it's not often that I'm separated from him."

"What about school?"

Sherman rolled his eyes, "Well, yah, obviously then. But, I have to go to school. Besides, the penthouse is only about fifteen minutes away. Now, the penthouse is like two hundred minutes away." He sighed. "I know it's silly. I'm going to see him tomorrow night, but..."

Carl shook his head, "It's not silly."

Sherman's head lifted, "It's not?"

Mason shook his head, too. "Not at all. I remember my first night away from my parents. I was sleeping over my cousin's house. The previous nights, my dad had been reading me a bedtime story, a really good one. When it was time for bed, I asked if they could read it to me. They didn't have the book. I cried for about half an hour."

Sherman and Carl snickered to themselves. "How'd they get you to stop?" Sherman put a hand over his mouth to quiet his snickers.

Mason smirked, "They called my dad, and he read another chapter over the phone."

They all laughed.

"See, Sherman? Every kid has to go through with this eventually. It's a sign you're growing up. It has to happen sometime, right?" Carl gave Sherman a pointed look.

Sherman made a face, "I don't really want to grow up. I like being a kid."

Mason shrugged, "So do I. But, you can't stay little forever."

"And, I'm sure Mr. Peabody understands that. He wouldn't have let you come here if he didn't. He's smart enough to know when to let you broaden your horizons."

Sherman lay his head down his pillow, thinking about Carl's words. "I guess you're right. I still miss him, though."

"You're bound to. And, that's perfectly normal. He's your dad, after all. I bet he misses you, too." Mason climbed onto his cot, getting under the blanket.

Sherman nodded understandingly, "I know he does. Thanks for the pep talk, guys. It was a big help."

"Glad to be of assistance." Carl gave him a thumbs-up.

Just then, their camp counsellor came into the room.

"Lights out. Good night, boys." He dimmed the light before heading back to his room.

Sherman sighed, quickly hopping out of his bed to grab his stuffed animal from his bag. He reached in for it and took it out.

When he pulled it out, his eyebrows furrowed. Attached to the stuffed toy was a rolled-up piece of paper.

He unfurled the paper and looked at it. It was a picture of him, standing next to Mr. Peabody, his father's paw resting on his shoulder.

Underneath the picture was a note.

 _No matter what challenges you face, no matter how far away I might seem, I'm with you. I love you, Sherman. -Mr. Peabody_

Sherman clutched the paper tightly, his eyes beginning to tear up. He hugged the picture close to his heart. He wiped away a tear, smiling warmly.

Feeling he was ready for bed, Sherman climbed onto his cot. He set his glasses on the side table. His head hit the pillow and within ten minutes, he was out, thinking about Mr. Peabody.


	2. Without You (Mr Peabody)

Mr. Peabody yawned, hitting the power button on the TV remote, turning it off. He glanced at the clock. 9:47.

Though it was earlier then his normal bedtime, the canine genius was already succumbing to sleep.

It had been a long day for the white beagle. A company in Manhattan was suffering a great debt. To keep the business from crumbling due to bankruptcy, the CEO of the company asked if he could sell it to Mr. Peabody.

Mr. Peabody agreed to it and had gone through a long and arduous process to acquire the business.

But, being the genius and excellent business dog that he was, he was able to negotiate a reasonable price and by the end of the day, he now had another company to add to his "collection."

Mr. Peabody owned many companies around the country. Peabody Industries was a well-known enterprise in the United States. And, of course, he was a rather famous individual himself. Anybody who's anybody knew about his many achievements.

But, despite all of his success, he was still human - er, canine. He needed his rest as much as the next pooch.

He subconsciously walked towards Sherman's room, as was his routine before going to bed.

He opened the door, expecting to see his son sleeping in his bed. But, he was not.

Mr. Peabody's eyes shot open. He almost panicked, but his sleepy mind finally registered the reason for Sherman's absence.

"Oh, right. Sherman's at Clearwater." He looked back at the empty bed, sighing.

"I was wondering why it was so quiet," he chuckled flatly. He turned around, exiting the room.

He walked towards his room slowly. His mind drifted towards his son. This was the first time Mr. Peabody had let Sherman go somewhere without him. The young boy had been invited to sleepovers when he was younger, but Mr. Peabody didn't believe he was ready for it.

He even almost turned down Sherman's request to go to Camp Clearwater with his friends. The white canine sighed as he thought about that conversation.

* * *

"Mr. Peabody! Mr. Peabody!"

The bespectacled beagle jumped in alarm, turning his head towards the source of the voice.

His eyes softened as he watched his son running towards him. He placed the newspaper he'd been reading on the arm rest of his recliner and turned towards Sherman.

"Yes, Sherman?"

The boy had a huge smile on his face, barely able to contain his enthusiasm as evidenced by the slight bouncing of his feet.

Sherman took a deep breath in attempt to calm himself down. Mr. Peabody raised an amused eyebrow, wondering what he could be so excited about.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Sherman nodded quickly, "Yah. Okay, so I was talking with my friends Carl and Mason, and they said they're going to Camp Clearwater next Friday. Carl's mom purchased three free passes. So, they wanted to know if I could go, too!" Sherman exhaled deeply. "So, can I?"

Mr. Peabody held up a paw, "Hold up, Sherman. I can't make any decisions just yet. Camp Clearwater, you said?"

Sherman nodded.

Mr. Peabody put a finger to his chin, "All right. I'm familiar with the camp, so I don't see any problem with it. Is it a one day event?"

Sherman shook his head, "No, it's actually two. According to Carl, we'd arrive Friday morning, sleep overnight, and do fun camping things during the day."

Mr. Peabody stiffened at the word _overnight_. "Overnight?"

Sherman nodded excitedly, "Yup. We get to sleep in a real log cabin! Just like President Lincoln. It'd be so much fun. So, can I go?"

Mr. Peabody looked at his son. His eyes were full of excitement, anticipating his father's answer as if he knew what he would say.

The canine genius turned his head to the side. This would be Sherman's first night out of the house. Mr. Peabody had been expecting this moment to come. He knew that eventually, Sherman would want to sleep over one of his friend's house.

He just didn't expect that moment to come today. He looked back at Sherman, "Overnight, huh? You think you can handle that?"

Sherman shrugged, "Well, sure. I mean, I probably can. My friends are going to be with me. So, I'll be fine."

Mr. Peabody sighed quietly. His boy was growing up. He had to face the facts. His beautiful boy wouldn't be a boy forever. He had to give him the chance to mature, to grow.

And, Mr. Peabody wasn't one to disappoint his son. He turned back to his son, straightening his bow tie.

He walked over to Sherman, placing his hands behind his back, assuming his natural professional state.

"Well, Sherman. If you really want to go to Camp Clearwater, then I see no reason why I should prohibit you from doing so. I hereby warrant you permission to attend camp with your friends."

Sherman blinked. "Is that a...yes?"

Mr. Peabody rolled his eyes, "Yes, Sherman. It is."

Sherman's mouth broke out into a big grin. "Yes!" He tackle-hugged his dad, wrapping his arms tightly around Mr. Peabody's smaller frame.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Peabody!"

Mr. Peabody's glasses were knocked askew, but he returned the hug. "You're quite welcome, Sherman."

Sherman released his father, excitedly running off to his room, cheering on the way.

Mr. Peabody smiled warmly, happy that he could make his son happy.

* * *

The dog's thoughts drifted back to the present. Sherman was probably asleep by now.

Mr. Peabody sighed, wondering if Sherman missed him as much as he did.

He walked past the Memory Wall, looking at all of the many pictures taken during their many excursions to times past.

He smiled warmly. His eyes rested upon a picture of himself holding a one-year-old Sherman.

His eyes softened, stroking the picture with a finger. His eyes drifted upward to a more recent picture.

Sherman was holding a drawing of him and Mr. Peabody inside the WABAC, a proud smile adorned on his face.

Mr. Peabody leaned back, sighing contently. He couldn't stop Sherman from growing up, but he knew he could fully enjoy the time he would have with his boy.

He still had a long childhood to get through before he reached his adult life. And, Mr. Peabody would cherish every moment of it.

He headed to his bedroom, climbing onto his mattress. He set his bow tie and glasses on the side table. His head rested atop his pillow, quickly slipping into unconsciousness. But, his thoughts were focused on one thing only.

His son.


End file.
